ZITF2021 preparations

The Zimbabwe International Trade Fair Company is visiting foreign diplomatic missions in Harare to secure business ahead of this year’s ZITF, which is set to be held from 26 to 30 April.

The company revealed this development on its social media pages this week. A delegation comprising ZITF Company chairman, Busisa Moyo, ZITF Company CEO, Dr Nicholas Ndebele and his deputy, Stella Nkomo is knocking on embassies’ doors asking them to participate in the trade and explaining the benefits of the show.

“This week ZITF had high-level representation in Harare visiting foreign diplomatic missions based in Zimbabwe to canvass for their participation in the 62^nd edition of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (which is) taking place from 26 to 30 April 2022,” the company posted.

One of the embassies that the company’s executives, who were led by ZITF Company Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Nicholas Ndebele, visited is the Kenyan Embassy.

“This morning Dr. Nick Ndebele met Ambassador Stella Munyi of the Embassy of Kenya to deliver a personal invitation for an exhibit from Kenya as well as a business delegation of buyers, financiers and investors to visit the show,” said the company in another post.

The company’s executives so far been to the embassies of Angola, Botswana, DRC, Ghana, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, Malawi, Russia, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland and Tanzania.

“The response has been warm and highly encouraging. In fact, all the embassies visited have confirmed participation in the show either as exhibitors or visitors. Additionally, all the heads of missions will participate extensively in the Diplomats Forum scheduled to take place during the show,” Nkomo told The Chronicle newspaper

A business strategist who also advises on exhibition participation, Simon Bere who responded to the posts, praised the ZITF Company’s strategy and advised the company to use it way ahead of the event to give the target embassies and the companies from home to respond and prepare for participation.

“ZITF Company, a great approach. Maybe doing it earlier in the future will improve it since the embassy also needs to inform their business community and they often need enough time to factor such things in their annual plans and budgets,” said Bere in his response.

Over the past few years concerns have been raised over the low number of foreign exhibitors exhibiting at the trade fair compared to the past. Most of the space which used to be taken by foreign exhibitors is being filled up by local business.

The Zimbabwe International Trade Fair Company has pledged that the trade fair organiser will make sure that this year’s ZITF will be safe despite the COViD-19 pandemic. This was said by the company’s Chairman, Busisa Moyo in a statement issued last week to inform the market of the event’s dates.

The event is set to run from 20 to 23 July 2021 under the theme: “Showcasing the New Normal for Business & Industry: Realities and Opportunities.”

Moyo assured stakeholders that his company would ensure that all necessary steps are taken to ensure a safe event.

“As preparations for the exhibition step up, the ZITF Company wishes to assure its various stakeholders of its commitment to ensuring that all reasonable steps to promote and maintain safe and healthy conditions for participants,” he said.

Moyo highlighted that his company would collaborate with stakeholders to come up with a show format that ensure COVID-19 safety.

“(The) show organisers will be working closely with local and national health authorities to format the show in a manner which complies with health and safety regulations and provides reduced exposure risk,” said Moyo.

The ZITF boss, who is also the United Refineries Chief Executive Officer, indicated that would inform stakeholders of this year’s exhibition’s guidelines. He hinted at new stand lay out and the adoption of a hybrid type of a show.

“Over the course of the next few days and weeks, our teams will be in touch with exhibitors, buyers and other key stakeholders with information on the show’s operational guidelines.”

“However, stakeholders can expect to see new features which include heightened health and safety protocols, modified venue layouts, more digital and hybrid meeting platforms, and an emphasis on numbers management,” Moyo said.

Moyo expressed hope that the ongoing national COVID-19 vaccination programme would go some way in ensuring some form of protection ahead of the event.

“With the planned voluntary mass vaccination for Bulawayo Province, we also hope that sufficiently high numbers will have been vaccinated to achieve some level of herd immunity in time for the show,” he said.

The trade fair, which is set to run for four days instead of the traditional five, is Zimbabwe’s flagship business event. The company skipped the event last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and this year it was moved to July from its usual April slot as the first quarter of the year coincided with the second wave of the pandemic.

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